'The Trail Fire of 1961' documentary to air on WGTE-TV

The Trail Fire of 1961 , a documentary about the deadly gasoline tanker truck fire that killed four Toledo firefighters and injured 80 people will air Thursday night on PBS.

The film is written and directed by Phillip Kaplan of The Blade and narrated by longtime TV personality Jerry Anderson. The tanker jackknifed on a curve on Anthony Wayne Trail, burst into flames, and then exploded. The injured in the June 10, 1961, fire included 38 children and a dozen firefighters.

“The documentary includes interviews with firefighters that were at the scene that day and little-seen video of the fire and explosion,” Sheldon Collins, spokesman for Toledo Fire and Rescue, said in a news release.

A premiere of the film at Imagination Station earlier this year drew 300 people.

“It was a tragic but important story that needed to be told so that those that gave their all would not be forgotten,” Joe Walter, president of the Firefighters Museum, said in the release. “The documentary is dedicated to the memory of those that died or who were injured at the fire, and their families.”

The Trail Fire of 1961: Toledo Firefighting’s Deadliest Disaster will air at 8 p.m. on WGTE-TV public television. A trailer for the documentary can be viewed at WGTE.org .